Appaloosa

Appaloosa (2008)
R
Running Time: 114 minutes
4 gold nuggets

At one point in this film there is a shootout between 6 of the fastest guns. The scene happens fast. There is no standing and talking about the size of the town, no waiting for the other guy to draw, no drawn out Italian interpretations of samurai fight scenes (not that those are bad things). Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo) walk up to the jailhouse and five seconds later, three men are dead, one has escaped jail, and Cole and Hitch are both lying wounded on the ground. Hitch remarks, "that happened fast." To which Cole replies, "everybody could shoot."

The humor is as dry as the surrounding landscape, the one-liners are great, and what is left unsaid is even better. Harris and Cole do a great job acting. Zellweger, in my mind does a great job too. Although not on par with her performance in Cold Mountain, she adds a certain softness that distinguishes the violent tension that runs throughout the film. (I haven't read the book, but I have it on good authority that Zellweger strays slightly from the original character's manipulate ways.)

I just want to make sure everyone knows that Hitch walks around with an eight-gauge shotgun. It's like a portable canon.

The film does a good job of developing tension. The plot line is a little thin, so the suspense of certain scenes really helps to carry the film. Basically, Zellweger wants the alpha male who is, in here estimation, one of at least three people. Supposedly she loves Cole, but is kind of into Bragg (the bad guy, yeah, he's bad), and she makes a pass at Hitch. Hitch is some sort of a Galahad. He's with Cole and Ms. French (Zellweger) is with Cole. Bragg, however, is not with Cole, he hates Cole, so it's really easy for him to shack up with Zellweger (plus I think she is the only pretty girl that lives in Appaloosa).

Every so often, there is a scenic shot. They are all pretty, and they add to that soft/harsh contrast, setting a lonesome silent tone. But, there is one really sucky cut scene where a mountain lion watches a train go by, like this guy. I've yet to be convinced that mountain lions watch trains from mountain tops despite all the westerns that I've watched.